Machine for cleaning printing press rollers and analogous articles



Oct. 17, 1950 A. J. DAVIES MACHINE FOR CLEANING PRINTING PRESS ROLLERSAND ANALOGOUS ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1945 Oct. 17,1950 A. J. DAVIES 2,526,542

MACHINE FOR CLEANING PRINTING PRESS ROLLERS AND ANALOGOUS ARTICLES FiledDec. 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l\ Q N} N x q u if l I i Q \Q R x q R Q FS I En Fatented (jet. 17, 1950 MACHINE son QLEANING PRINTING PRESSRGLLERS AND ANALOGOUS ARTICLES Arthur J. Davies, Cleveland, Ohio,assignor to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., acorporation of Delaware Application December 22, 1945, Serial No.636,818

This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning or washing objects,particularly cylindrical objects such as printing rollers or the like.

It has been customary to clean printing rollers by hand, utilizing asuitable cleaning material, such as a suitable solvent, to remove theaccumulated ink. Such manual cleaning requires 7 Claims. (Cl. 15-88)considerable time and effort, and it has long been recognized that itwould be desirable to dispense with the manual operations and therebysave the time and labor entailed thereby. The machine of this inventionaccomplishes mechanical cleaning of rollers and similar objects.Briefly, the apparatus comprises a cylindrical brush rotatable in a tankcontaining a cleaning liquid and contacting a roller or the like forcleaning the same by a scrubbing action while applying the cleaningliquid. Means are provided for positively driving the roller and brushat different speeds so as to obtain a relative surface'travel of oneabout the other, and for urging the brush into, contact with the rollerregardless of thediameter of the latter. The support for one end of theroller is adjustable so as to accommodate rollers of different lengths.Means are preferably provided for circulating the cleaning liquid andfiltering or'otherwise purifying the same for re-use. The machineperforms the cleaning operation on a number of rollersvin a matter ofminutes, in contrast to the, hours formerly required for the same task.v It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for cleaningprinting rollers and the like which is rapid, efficient, and economicalto construct and operate. It'is another object to provide rollercleaning apparatus which is sturdy, and yet relatively light in weight,and readily movable from place tov place, It is a further object toprovide roller cleaning apparatus in which a brush rotates in contactwith a roller to be cleaned at a speed different from the rotationalspeed of the roller. It is still another object to provide a rollercleaning machine including a rotatable brush mounted on 'slidablebearings and biasing means to urge the-brush into contact with a roller.An additional object is the provision of roller cleaning apparatusincluding bearing means for a roller adjustable to ac commodate rollersof varying lengths.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art from the following descriptionand the appended drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective viewv of one apparatus embodying the.invention, certain parts being omitted or broken away for greaterclearness;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus, certain of theparts omitted in Figure 1 being fully illustrated;

,7 Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectionalview taken substantiallyalong the lines 33 of Figure 2.

The invention is primarily intended for application to the cleaning ofrolls, such as printing rollers, but it will be clear that it may beutilized in the cleaning of other articles, of cylindrical or othershape.

The embodiment of the machine illustrated in the drawing comprises aframe Ill which may be formed of metal angle members. The frame may havelower and upper pairs of horizontal longitudinal frame members H and I2connected by uprights I3. Suitable transverse horizontal members M areprovided to rigidify the frame. A pan or tank l5 for cleanin liquid issupported by the upper frame members I2 and I l, and a wall or splashshield 16 extends upwardly from the rear edge of the frame and tank. Endwalls I! are provided at the ends of the frame, prefer-- ably with theupper edges sloping downwardly from the top of the wall "5 to the frontedge or" the frame.

A brush l8 of a length sufficient to extend the full length of a rollerR having a shaft S, or other article to be cleaned thereby, is disposedin the tank IS. The ends of the shaft IQ of the brush are journaled insuitable bearing blocks 28, which are arranged for sliding movementtransversely of the tank, as by being disposed in suitable bearingbrackets 2| extending from the rear wall of the tank. It will be clearthat this mountlllg of the brush l8 permits sliding movement thereoftransversely of the tank. Secured to one end of the shaft I9 is asprocket wheel 22.

A shaft 23 extends through the end wall of the tank I5 adjacent thesprocket wheel 22, and is journaled in the end wall and in a suitablesupport 24 mounted on the end of the frame iii. On the portion of theshaft 23 projecting into the tank, suitable means are provided forholding one end of the roller shaft S or the like and rotating theroller R. This means is illustrated as a conventional chuck 25 with aconventional key-receiving aperture 26. Any other suitable means mightbe employed for this purpose.

A sprocket wheel 21 is fixed on the shaft 23 substantially in the planeof the sprocket wheel 22. The sprocket wheel Zl is illustrated as havinga diameter greater than that of the wheel, 22, although the relativesizes of these sprocket wheels might be reversed. An idler sprocketwheel 28 is disposed in the plane of the sprocket wheels 22 and 2'5,being carried on an arm or lever 29 pivoted as at 39 to the end wall [1.A spring 3% has one end secured to the lever 29 and the other to the endwall I! to urge the sprocket wheel 28 away from the wheels 22 and 21. Asprocket chain 32 is trained over the three sprocket wheels. be evident,tenis to urge the sprocket wheel 22 in the direction of the sprocketwheel 27 by reason of its take-up effect on the sprocket chain 32. Thiscauses :a biasing of the brush l8 toward the roller disposed in themachine for cleaning, movement of the brush horizontally in a directiontransverse of the tank being permitted by the sliding bearing blockarrangement. A. spring 33 may be provided for the bearing Ell at the endof. the brush remote from the sprocket wheel 22 to equalize the pressureof the brush on the roller throughout its length. The spring 33 isillustratedwas having one end secured to the bearing block 29] and theother to the bottom of the tank forwardly of the hearing, but it will beevident that other biasing means may be provided or the arrangementotherwise varied.

An electric motor 3 3 is provided to drive the chuck 25 and sprocketwheel 27 through any suitable speed reduction mechanism 35, drive chain36, and sprocket wheel 3's fixed on the shaft 23 between the end wall lland the support 25. A suitable switch (not shown) may be provided tocontrol operation of the motor from any suitable source of electricity(not shown). It will be clear that when the motor is energized, theshaft 23 is rotated and with it the chuck 25 and sprocket wheel 2?, thesprocket wheel driving the sprocket wheels 22 and 28 by means 0.? thehain 32. The roller R. connected to the chuck at is thus rotated in thesame direction as the brush i8, but at a lesser or greater speed thanthe brush, as the sprocket wheel 2'? is larger 01' s lier than the wheel22. The arrangement 1" erably is such that the brush rotates a i ofapproximately 96 3. P. M. As aire: posited out, the difference inbetween me sprocket wheels 22 and 2? ca a speed d rential in therotation of the "or as and the roller P. rotated by means of the chuck25. As illustrated, the crush rotates faster than iii-at is, r latively,the brush revolves about roller while rotating. Since both the brush andthe roller rotate in the same direction, the contacting portionstl'iereoi move opposition to each other and the ink, dirt, or otherforeign matter removed from the roller is brushed away from the rollerportion which has just passed from brushing contact, thus adding speedto the cleaning process by avoidingre soiling of the roller. er thanthat of the roller to give a relative tr of the roller about the surfaceof the brush. relative travel of the brush and roller provides ascrubbing action, as distinguished from a simple brushing. If thediameter of the roller or other article is such that its peripheralspeed is the same or substantially the same as that of the brush, restting in absence of any relative surface travel of one about the other,the ratio of the oclret wheels 22 and El ma be altered. It has beenpointed out that the brush is urged into contact with the roller,regardless If desired, the brush-speed may be slow The spring 3|, aswill of the radial dimensions of roller, by

cans

co tact means. This assures a good clean of the brush against the rollerand the scrubbing action.

A suitable support or bearing block 3? provided for the end of the shaftS of the roller remote from that secured to the chuc Pre erably thishearing block 83 is arr i movable longitudinally of the tank it may bemoved toward or away from the r 25 for the accommodation of rollers of vlengths. As illustrated in Figure l, the .=e block 38 may be fixed on abracket 3 h sliding fit in the tank !5. A bar cured between the upperend of tension 3% of the bracket disposed the wall l6 and the end of thebraclret c the forward edge of the tank. A similar is fixed adjacent theother end or the ta wall 16, in parallelism with the h r bars 46 and llare provided 1 and which ma be supported. by drying. The bars 60 and iit. .s pr drying rack, although it will be cleadesired they might beconveniently 1 support rollers prior to cleaning thereof. bar 46, beingsecured to the slide-able bracket may be moved toward or away from theto vary the distance there-between as be required by the length of therollers or other articles to be supported.

A cleaning liquid, such as a suitable solvent 43, is employed forcleaning the rollers, the solvent being maintained at a suitable heightin the tank 15 for partial immersion of the brush l8 therein, andapplication thereof by the brush to the roller. At one end of the tankis an outlet aperture 4 3 to which is connected a conduit 65 leading tothe inlet end of a conventional oil filter or other purifier 46 whichmay be supported on a platform 41 extending from one end of the frame Ill adjacent the bottom thereof. An outlet conduit 48 leads from thepurifier to a pump is driven by a suitable electric motor 50, and aconduit 5| leads from the pump to a suitable nozzle or spout 52extending through the wall I6 adjacent the end of the tank l5 remotefrom the drain aperture 44. The solvent 63, or other cleaning liquid, iscirculated by means of the pump and conduits through the tank i5 andpurifier 46 during operation of the machine. A suitable switch (notshown) controls the operation of the pump motor 59, and thereby thecirculation of the cleaning liquid. Preferably the liquid is circulatedfor a short period after the cleaning operation has been completed so asto withdraw all of the dirt-loaded liquid from the tank and leave onlyclean liquid therein. Suitable valves 53 are provided to control theflow of liquid through the purifier and the associated conduits. It willbe evident that clean solvent 43 is constantly supplied to the tank i5during the cleaning operation and the dirt-laden liquid constantlywithdrawn therefrom, so that the efficiency of the machine is notdiminished by use of ineffective or partially ineffective cleaningliquid. The solvent 43 or other cleaning liquid may be supplied to thebrush otherwise than by means of the tank. For example, it might beflowed directly onto the brush. Instead of a. liquid, a solid cleaningmaterial, such as a powder, might be employed, although such. materialdoes not lenditself to circulation, purification,

and re-use.

"The motor 34, speed reduction mechanism 39, pump 49, and motor 50 aresuitably mounted on the frame ID, as by brackets or the like. Thepurifier 46, if desired, may be mounted beneath the tank. The machinemay be adapted to rest directly on the floor, as shown in-Figure 1;, andif desired may be secured thereto by bolts or other suitable means.Preferably, however, the machine is mounted on casters ;54 or similardevices so that it may be easily wheeled from place to place. Themachine may thus be positioned near a printing press or the like so thatthe printing rollers of the press need be carried only a: short distancefor cleaning. An electric extension cord may be employed in connectionwith the machine which may be plugged into any convenient electricoutlet and thus provide for operation of the motors.

It will be obvious that various changes and modifications in thestructure illustrated and described may be made without departing fromthe spirit and principles of the invention. For example, instead of thesprocket wheels and sprocket chains, pulleys and driving belts might beemployed. Similarly, the particular springs 3| and 33 might be replacedby other means performing the same function of biasing the brush I8transversely of the tank. Other possible changes and modifications havebeen pointed out in the foregoing descriptions, and others will readilysuggest themselves.

In view of the variations and modifications which may be made, some ofwhich have been pointed out above, it is not intended to limit theinvention to the specific embodiment illustrated and described, but onlyas required by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the character described, a substantially cylindricalbrush mounted for rotation about its axis and for movement transverselyof its axis, means for mounting a roller to be cleaned in juxtaposedparallel relation to said brush and for rotation about its axis, andmeans substantially cylindrical brush mounted for rotation about itsaxis and for movement transversely of its axis, means for mounting aroller to be cleaned in juxtaposed parallel relation to said brush andfor rotation about its axis, means 4'. In a machine of the characterdescribed, an open top tank substantially oblong. in plan,bearing'blocks spaced apart lengthwise of said tank slidably mounted formovement transversely thereof, a substantially cylindrical brushoverlying said tank mounted in said blocks with its axis disposedsubstantially horizontally, said brush being rotatable about its axisand'movable with said block transversely of its axis, means for mountinga roller to be cleaned in juxtaposed parallel relation to said brush andfor rotation about its axis, and means effective for simultaneouslyrotating said brush and the roller at different peripheral speeds andyieldingly urging said brush and blocks toward the roller and holdingsaid brush in contact with the roller.

5. In a machine of' the character described, an open top tanksubstantially oblong in plan, bearing blocks spaced-apart lengthwise ofsaid tank slidably mounted for movement transversely adjacent one end ofsaid brush effective for simultaneously rotating it and the roller atdifferent peripheral speeds and yieldingly urging said brush toward theroller and holding it in contact therewith, and supplementary meansadjacent the other end of said brush yieldingly urging the latter towardthe roller.

3. In a machine of the character described, a substantially cylindricalbrush mounted for rotation about its axis, means for mounting a rollerto be cleaned in juxtaposed parallel relation to said brush and forrotation about its axis, means mounting said brush for movement towardand away from the roller, said brush being freely movable toward theroller, and means effective for simultaneously rotating said brush andthe roller at different peripheral speeds and yieldthereof, asubstantially cylindrical brush overlying said tank mounted in saidblocks with its axis disposed substantially horizontally, said brushbeing rotatable about its axis and movable with said blocks transverselyof its axis, means for mounting a roller to be cleaned in juxtaposedparallel relation to said brush and for rotation about its axis, saidblocks being freely movable toward the roller, and means effective forsimultaneously rotating said brush and the roller at differentperipheral speeds and yieldingly urging said brush and blocks toward theroller and holding said brush in contact with the roller.

6. In a machine of the character described, an

open top tank substantially oblong in plan, bearing blocks spaced apartlengthwise of said tank slidably mounted for movement transverselythereof, a substantially cylindrical brush overlying said tank mountedin said blocks with its axis disposed substantially horizontally, saidbrush being rotatable about its axis and movable with said blockstransversely of its axis, means for mounting a roller to be cleaned injuxtaposed parallel relation to said brush and for rotation about itsaxis, said roller mounting means comprising a first driven memberrotatably mounted adjacent one end of said tank and adapted fordriving'connection to the roller, a second driven member secured to saidbrush adjacent said one end of said tank, ;an idler driven memberrotatabl mounted adjacent said one end of said tank above said first andsecond driven members and yieldingly urged upward, a flexible memberpassing about all of said driven members establishing driving connectionbetween said first and second driven members, said idler driven memberin cooperation with said flexible member yieldingly urging said brushtoward the roller, said brush bearing blocks being freely movable towardthe roller, the ratio of said first and second driven members being suchthat the roller and the brush are driven at different peripheral speeds,and means for driving said first driven member.

'7. In a machine of the character described, an open top tanksubstantially oblong in plan, bearing blocks spaced apart lengthwise ofsaid tank slidably mounted for movement transversely thereof, asubstantially cylindrical brush overlying said tank mounted in saidblocks with its axis disposed substantially horizontally, said brushbeing rotatable about its axis and movable with said blocks transverselyof its axis, means for mounting a roller to be cleaned in juxta- 7'.posed parallei relation to said brush and for Totation about its axis,said roller mounting means comprising a chuck rotatably mounted adjacentone end of said tank adapted for driving con nection to the roller, afirst sprocket fixed to said chuck, a second sprocket secured to saidbrush adjacent said one end of said tank, a third idler sprocketrotatably mounted adjacent said one end of said tank above said firstand second sprockets, a sprocket chain passing about said sprockets,means yieldingl urging said idler sprocket upward effective incooperation with said chain for yieidingly urging said brush toward theroller, said brush bearing blocks being freely movable toward theroller, the ratio of said first and second sprockets being such thatsaid brush and the roller are driven at difierent peripheral speeds, andmeans for driving said first sprocket.

ARTHUR J. DAVIES.

REFERENCES 'CITEf) The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 748,583 Cleathero a Jan. 5, 1904826,834 Crump July 24, 1906 2,277,724 Smith Mar. 31, 1942 2,291,991Spraker Aug. 4, 1942 2,376,945 Stine May 29, 1945 2,385,039 SteinmetzSept. 18, 1945 2,408,240 Stone Sept. 24, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 609,622 Germany Feb. 21, 1935

